


Oh Shit

by eddieregretti



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Canon Universe, Canonical Character Death, Chinese Restaurant scene, Eddie wears Gucci, Gay, Its a lot of Eddie thoughts, M/M, One Shot, Stan is dead i'm sorry, Swearing (like once)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 07:42:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15383949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddieregretti/pseuds/eddieregretti
Summary: Eddie’s memories are coming back, but his feelings aren’t, until a tall, handsome, barely recognizable man obnoxiously bangs a gong.“Sup, Losers?!”(based on the It 2019 teaser shown at SDCC (that magically no one leaked))





	Oh Shit

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoy this lil thingy i wrote today!!

Eddie Kaspbrak can’t remember the last time he felt this anxious and confused, and that was saying a lot coming from a man that took anxiety medication and didn’t think he loved his wife the way a man is supposed to love a woman. He was at least a little bit anxious and confused throughout most of his adult life, but since stepping off the train in Derry there had been a certain comfort to the stress. After checking into a hotel and sitting on the neatly made bed, staring blankly at nothing for a few hours, he came to the conclusion that anxiety and confusion were the most normal feelings to feel in this town. It was the people of Derry, who felt at home there and easily ignored all the weird shit that happened, who were abnormal.

So, as old memories came back to Eddie, sometimes slowly, sometimes many at once, he let himself feel stressed. He stayed alert, afraid that a certain terrifying creature would come around at any time, as he breathed in his inhaler, more out of habit than necessity. The hotel walls were thin, but the silence in the room was almost unbearable, so Eddie decided to turn on the TV and let a children’s show play as a soundtrack to his rapid thoughts. He paced over to the window and carefully drew the curtains, looking out at kids playing on the street. It almost made him laugh. It’s like Derry is stuck in time.

A brief but detailed moment flashed in his mind where he saw a young boy that he recently remembered as Richie Tozier, dropping his bike in the middle of the street. He was a heap of messy curls, glasses falling down his nose, and a goofy grin bright enough to match the sun as he grabbed Eddie’s hand and tugged him towards the rest of their friends. Now, Eddie wished he could remember how he felt about Richie Tozier. He spent a lot of time with him, he knows because he seemed to have a thousand images of the boy crawling through his bedroom window and making a joke about being there to surprise Sonia Kaspbrak. It seemed special to him, almost romantic, whatever it was that had gone on between him and Richie. Was it an unspoken thing between them, or was their friendship just particularly close? Maybe he was overthinking it, but he would give a lot to know just how his 14 year old self felt when his best friend clung to him and pinched his cheeks and gushed about how  _ cute cute cute _ he was.

Before he could over-analyze his memories anymore, Eddie stopped himself and checked his phone. Mike would call soon enough and let him know a plan for them all to meet up, so he decided to shower and change. He always liked to look his best, no matter what the occasion, so he hoped he packed appropriate clothing. Leaving home had been such a panicked rush, between suddenly remembering small details of his forgotten childhood and Myra begging him not to go, that he just shoved a bunch of things in his bag and called a cab as fast as he could.

After a couple hours of trying to keep himself busy inside his hotel room, his phone began to buzz on the bed. He picked it up without looking at the contact.

“Eddie. It’s Mike. Listen, do you like Chinese food?”

 

* * *

 

When Eddie walked toward the backroom of the restaurant, used for group reservations, he was nervous and excited. Would he be the first one there? No, he was a few minutes late. He hoped he wouldn’t be the last one there, that would be a little embarrassing for sure. He wanted to make a good first impression on his friends. He remembers wanting to impress them, particularly Bill. He secretly hoped Bill would see him now and be blown away or something. He paused in front of the doorway before walking in because he felt like mentally preparing himself was a good idea, so he didn’t freak out or anything. 

_ You’re going to walk in there and see the best friends you’ve ever had. You’re going to see Bill, and Bev, and Stan, and Mike, and Ben. And Richie. You’re going to see Richie. _

Finally stepping in, everyone was sitting around a table except for Richie and Stan, which seemed strange. There was a flash through Eddie’s mind, of an 18 year old Richie wearing a wrinkled Nirvana shirt and plaid pyjama pants bursting into a classroom. He sat down next to Eddie and apologized to the teacher for being late. Stan, from the other side of Richie, took a break from writing notes to shake his head disapprovingly before expressing how important it was to set an alarm in the morning to prevent being an hour late to class. So Richie’s tardiness could have been expected. Maybe Stan’s plane was delayed, or there was traffic from the airport.

“Eddie?!” a beautiful woman with flowing red curls stood as soon as she noticed him. Beverly was engulfing him in a hug within a couple seconds as his eyes widened. Sure he hadn’t seen her since she was 13, but she looked like a movie star now.

“Jesus! Hi guys.” Was all he could manage to get out when Bev pulled away. She gave him a once over and a questioning look.

“Are you literally wearing Gucci right now? Look at you go, all grown up and well dressed!”

All their greetings went very well and Eddie almost couldn’t believe how happy he felt. As soon they were back together, it’s like no time has passed at all. He was giggling and teasing like they were kids again. He instantly forgot all about the terrible thing that brought them back to Derry. It didn’t matter anymore because he was with them. Mike was friendly and strong, Beverly was cheerful and laughing, Bill was confident and gentle, and Ben looked like he could be Chris Pratt in that Jurassic Park movie. Eddie just felt so  _ proud _ of them just for growing into adults.

Despite his excitement, he couldn’t help but notice there was still something missing. As they calmed down and sat down at the table, he asked.

“So, uh, where’s Richie? Is he coming?” he looked to Mike and so did the others. “... and Stan?”

Mike’s face suddenly fell, like he’d just been reminded of something horrible and it made Eddie’s heart drop a little. Before Mike could reply, they all jumped at the sound of a gong ringing throughout the room and Eddie whipped his head around as fast as he could to see a man holding a terribly tacky mallet and standing next to a gong that Eddie somehow hadn’t noticed yet.

It’s true, the Trashmouth always did know how to make an entrance. He stood there with an expectant smirk (with a little dimple and everything) like he was just waiting for them to jump up and clap for him. When none of them did, and Eddie just sat dumbfounded, staring at him, he spoke up instead.

“Sup, Losers?!” He dropped the mallet to the floor and walked closer to the group. And suddenly there was a feeling in Eddie’s chest and in his stomach and all over his body. A feeling he hadn’t had since he was a secretly love struck 18 year old boy, daydreaming about his best friend. A feeling no one else had given him in his life, certainly not his wife. It suddenly made sense now, why he felt guilty whenever he’d sigh and say  _ ‘I love you, too, Marty.’ _ Because he didn’t love Myra the way he was supposed to. He was never in love with her. 

He stared blankly at the man (yes, he definitely was a man now) standing at the head of the table, very different from how he remembered his friend, but still undeniably Richie Trashmouth Tozier. He was always funny and very charming, but there was something different there now. He had grown into his big mouth and lost his baby fat. His jaw was strong and his curls framed his face beautifully. Mike had mentioned that Richie still lived in California, but he was still nearly as pale as Eddie remembered, a few freckles across his nose. His boyish glasses were replaced with contacts, making his blue eyes seem brighter and showing off his smile lines. This Richie had grown up, started a successful career, lost his awkward mannerisms and bony limbs flying about, become comfortable in his own skin. This Richie, Eddie would admit only to himself, was incredibly  _ hot _ .

He sat down at the head of the table, next to Ben and Eddie himself, and rested a hand on his chin, elbow on the table, glancing around at each of them. When their eyes met, Eddie felt is stomach flip over. It was a nice, but unsettling feeling.

“ _Soooooo_ what do y’all want to talk about?” He said and waited for a response. Eddie wanted to roll his eyes, as he’s sure the others must have done, but he was much too distracted to pretend to be annoyed.

This was what he wanted. He was certain now that a teenage Eddie Kaspbrak, who repressed his sexuality his whole life, who probably knew deep down it was never going to happen, who kept it hidden from his friends for years, had a big gay crush for the majority of his childhood, and was completely head over heels  _ in love with Richie Tozier _ .

“Oh Shit.” He muttered in disbelief.

_ And here he goes again _ .


End file.
